DENVER — Back in August, Denver7 Investigates reported on AutoSavvy, a nationwide used car dealership accused of deceptive practices in Colorado. Customers said they bought salvage‑title cars with undisclosed damage and poor repairs, despite promises that the vehicles were “fully reconditioned.”
Now, one of those customers has officially won — and been paid — more than $313,000.
Charly Darnell’s battle with AutoSavvy began after she bought a Dodge Durango from its Colorado Springs location and later discovered structural damage following a minor accident in March 2022.
She said part of the car was held together with zip ties and drywall screws, but Auto Savvy would not make repairs.
Determined to prove her case, she spent years gathering evidence and fighting the dealership, even going undercover at AutoSavvy locations.
Now, she said the fight is over.
“It feels final,” Darnell said after learning Auto Savvy had paid out. “It’s a huge relief to not be worrying about this anymore.”
Last year, an arbitrator ruled AutoSavvy’s practices in Darnell's case were deceptive and violated the Colorado Consumer Protection Act.
The award? $313,921.52.
AutoSavvy filed a motion to vacate the award, arguing the arbitrator was biased.
“There was just no proof of partiality or bias,” said consumer protection attorney Trent Wallace, who represented Darnell in the case. “It’s a very high threshold to overturn an arbitration award, and the judge denied their arguments.”
Last month, AutoSavvy paid.
For Darnell, the money will help as she nears retirement — but she said her real motivation was to warn others.
“It just helps a little bit with that,” she said. “But that wasn’t the reason I did it, of course. I wanted to share the story to warn people… there are some serious safety issues.”
“I think it just sends a signal that you can’t cut corners,” Wallace said. “You can’t make false representations. You shouldn’t fraudulently promote your business and promote the products you’re trying to sell.”
Wallace is representing another AutoSavvy customer in a similar arbitration case scheduled for this month.
AutoSavvy did not respond to multiple calls and emails about the arbitration award or other cases.
